Month: October 2011

BOO! <– You know what that is? That’s the end of the GoodwillHalloween Window Contest sneaking up on you. We have been floored by the great turn-out of voters, and there’s still time to add yourself into the final count.

Come on n' vote! Just 12 hours left to pick your favorite Goodwill Halloween Window. After all, you wouldn't want to miss the contest & upset the Troy Goodwill's witch, would you?

We joined Where the Goodwill Goes in this contest amazed by our stores’ enthusiasm this season (after all, the stores themselves provide job training, income, and self-esteem to those previously facing barriers to employment), but now we’re equally amazed at the support of our fans. Keep it coming, but beware: only votes placed before 11pm tonight (October 31st, 2011) will count. So hurry up n’ vote, Goodwill fans, and Happy Halloween!

To vote, please visit our Facebook album at http://on.fb.me/gwspooky and click like underneath the image of your choice. If you don’t have Facebook, you can vote via the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/gwhalloween, though the survey does not include images. We ask you only vote once, but please feel free to tell others to vote – the more the merrier!

the Colonie Goodwill at 1 Fuller Road in the Capitol Region / West New York:

and the Wappingers Falls Goodwill at 1488 Route 9 in Hudson Valley:

To vote for these or other Goodwill stores, please visit our Facebook album at http://on.fb.me/gwspooky and click like underneath the image of your choice. If you don’t have Facebook, you can vote via the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/gwhalloween, though the survey does not include images. We ask you only vote once, but please feel free to tell others to vote – the more the merrier!

Prefer treats to tricks? We do too. That’s why we’re throwing not one, not two, but three Window Sales this Halloween weekend (along with our big Halloween sales, too!) – from the Bronx to Downtown Brooklyn to Greenwich Village, we’ve got something for every NYC deal-seeker this ooky, spooky holiday weekend.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011:

This Friday, October 28th at the Bronx 149th Street Goodwill (361 East 149th Street, Bronx, NY 10455), tickets are distributed to customers on line by 7:45 a.m., and the doors open at 8:00 a.m. for window items only. The store admits two customers at a time. Purchases are limited to two items per person. At 9:00 a.m., the store opens to everyone unless there are still ticket-holders on line. Once they’ve made their purchases, any remaining window merchandise is up for grabs.

Also this Friday, the Brooklyn Livingston Street Goodwill (258 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 10021) opens its doors at 9:00 a.m., and the Window Sale starts immediately. Purchases are limited to two items per person.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2011

Come Saturday, October 29th at the Greenwich Village Goodwill Boutique (44 West 8th Street, NY, NY 10011), doors open at 9:00 a.m., and the sale starts immediately. Purchases are limited to two items per person.

Just in case you’re not in the know yet, a Goodwill Window Sale is when the best items in the store (which have been displayed in the window for days if not weeks) go on sale. There are often designer items and high-priced toys in the mix. We’ve seen everything from an XBox to a Prada suit to a gorgeous electric guitar. Crowds form early, so try to get to the store well before doors open.

Halloween is fast approaching (less than a week left to go!). While some of you have been perfecting your costume for months, others might be more like our columnist Lauren – a last-minute magpie. Still on the hunt for the perfect disguise, Lauren hits her local Goodwill for this week’s Goodwill Gem: the quick fix Halloween.

This fancy mask is fit for a black-tie masquerade ball, but it works just as well as the focal point for a costume for a more casual Halloween affair.

And if you’re anything like me, you generally wait until the very last minute to put a costume together. And, like me, perhaps you love dressing up and getting crafty, but don’t exactly have the funds to stop in at the nearest pop-up shop and drop $50 or $100 (or even more!) on an elaborate ensemble for this year’s festivities. So for fabulous Halloween on a dime, there really is only one place to go – your local Goodwill!

Looking for a store near you? You can find each store’s hours by zip-code search on the “Find Goodwill” page. To find contact information for your local Goodwill by neighborhood, visit Guide to GoodwillNyNj.

If you’re a Greater New York or Northern New Jersey shopper: don’t forget you can add to your savings with a Goodwill Rewards Card, offering a $10 discount after every $100 spent in our region’s stores. To find out if you’re in the Greater New York and Northern New Jersey region, visit our store locator. If you are in our region, come fill out a form at the store or online here.

Just a standard sale side note for you: Discounts cannot be combined. If an item falls into two discount categories, Goodwill will apply the higher one. Happy Halloween, Goodwill fans!

We love Halloween – we love the Carmens, the Cowgirls, the Kanyes, even the Spooky Witches – and we love seeing these fantastic fantasies all embraced by the everyday people we pass on the street just because it’s Halloween.

The window at our Nanuet store mixes the spooky with the harvest fest - but does the combo get your vote?

While we usually use A Good Look by GoodwillNyNj to show off thrift fashion finds and fab ideas, we’ve been so amazed by our stores’ enthusiasm this season that we wanted to show off their finds and ideas – perfectly-timed for your Halloween inspiration and enjoyment. (To learn how our stores offer jobs and job training to those otherwise facing barriers to employment, and how they fund a variety of other community-strengthening programs and services, check out Where the Goodwill Goes!)

We’re hoping you’ll join us in celebrating fun for all this Halloween and vote in this years first ever Goodwill Halloween Window Contest. The winning store will get a heap of holiday rewards – you’ll see they’ve worked hard to impress you.

To vote, please visit our Facebook album at http://on.fb.me/gwspooky and click like underneath the image of your choice. If you don’t have Facebook, you can vote via the online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/gwhalloween, though the survey does not include images. We ask you only vote once, but please feel free to tell others to vote – the more the merrier!

We hope you vote and help show our staff and the many we serve that creativity and good work never go out of style, no matter the holiday, and neither does goodwill.

You never know where you might find your costume inspiration – so why not try a Window Sale at the Washington Heights Goodwill this Saturday, October 22 at 9 a.m.?

This Saturday at the Washington Heights Goodwill (512 West 181st Street, New York, NY 10033), the doors open at 9 a.m. for window items only. The store admits three customers on line at a time, who make their purchases. At 10, the store opens to everyone, and any remaining window merchandise is sold on a first come-first served basis.

Just in case you’re not in the know yet, a Goodwill Window Sale is when the best items in the store (which have been displayed in the window for days if not weeks) go on sale. There are often designer items and high-priced toys in the mix. We’ve seen everything from an XBox to a Prada suit to a gorgeous electric guitar. Crowds form early, so try to get to the store well before doors open.

Imagine this: you don’t have a ton of time or money to spend on a costume. You care about the planet, creativity and style. Sound familiar? We’ve been here before & here’s what we’ve learned: Yes, you can find run-of-the-mill costumes at the stores, but with a little imagination you can find clothes that you can wear again and again (lowering that cost-per-wear) even after the festivities! Need ideas? Our Emme Bonilla has the solution: Hit the fashion blogs!:

Jessica’s proven that all you need is a few bucks, a keen eye, and little creative thinking to whip up a fabulous costume mixing your own wardrobe with easily thriftable items. Her costume posts range from super simple and quick to make to more elaborate and time consuming creations.

Up after the break are three costume ideas that you can put together in a snap:

Halloween is right around the corner, just waiting to shout BOO! With the holiday in mind, our columnist Lauren is searching her local Goodwill for items that can do double-duty – finds fit for a costume party, but chic enough to last into the days, months and years beyond. Curious about her latest find? Well giddy’up cowboy, here’s this week’s Goodwill Gem: Cowboy Boots!

In traditional country style, these homey cowgirl boots have a soft leather upper in a natural hue and the characteristic stitching that makes a boot so fabulous, you’ll never want to take it off, no matter where you actually are - even at a cemetery dance party. Ooo spooky.

Need an escape? Whether it’s for a Halloween fantasy or just your average autumn day, nothing can transport you out of the city more quickly than a pair of classic cowgirl boots. This fantastic pair – rounded up at my local Goodwill store, of course – is the real deal.

Our model Blair shows an edgier side - as an actress making the most of auditions, she was styled by Robin of Thrifty.Vintage.Chic to make her mark.Our model Yesenia is in work-friendly attire without the stern lines of a business suit. She fell in love with the top, pulled by her stylist, blogger Patrice of Looking Fly on a Dime.

Our model Kim had the pose down pat, and the outfit to prove it, styled by Kimberlee of I Have a Degree in This!Our model Monica showed how color belongs at work, no matter how grey the cubicle. A Good Look by GoodwillNyNj contributor and stylist Emme brought the rainbow onto the runway.Our model Jose, styled by Goodwill's retail branch, looked fantastic - after all, he had the most-coveted accessory in the room: his seeing-eye dog Davey.The whole team - thank you to all!

Megan Lukas, Director, Community Outreach for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and her team of stylists provided make-up for the models.

For the full runway rundown of photos, visit our Facebook Page’s new album at http://on.fb.me/gwstrut or the featured stylists’ great posts on the event: